Voices from the Desert

When the disciples asked Jesus if he was ready to establish his kingdom after his resurrection they still missed the gravity of what the message of the kingdom even was. Jesus must have been shaking his head in response to this query. Today, people attempt to use prophetic ministry to establish their own kingdom. Perhaps this is similar in principle to how the disciples mistook the coming of the k...

How do we respond to prophetic words? And what are we to do when someone says soemthing hurtful to us? Prophetic culture needs an adjustment and Eric Janzen offers helpful principles in his new book "Ponder: Valuing and Evaluating the Gift of Prophecy". Join Joshua Hoffert and Murray Dueck as they interview Eric Janzen and hear all about his new book "Ponder".  To check out his...

What would it look like if prophetic ministry began looking once again as it did in the early church? What would the marks of historic, authentic, and true prophetic ministry be? Join Josh and Murray as they lay out 7 marks of historic prophetic ministry as they reflect on revelation and the early church. The seven marks of historic prophetic ministry: - The reputation of Macarius the Great. - The...

What kind of glimpse does the church offer us about prophetic ministry and how does that help us see where we are at today? Throughout the centuries, the gift of prophecy has flourished. What happened to it today? How have we become so far removed from the practice of prophecy in history? Join Josh and Murray as they reflect on the history of prophetic ministry and how that offers us insight in to...

In the historic church there is a category of saint called "Fools for Christ". These people were seen as incredibly gifted, yet they hid themselves from the world by either feigning madness or doing strange things that alienated them from the people around them. Some of them became the most famous men and women of their time. What was the deal with these "crazy" people? And can...

As we have been moving through this series on prophecy we can firmly resolve that prophetic ministry was alive and viable for the first 600 years of church history (and longer). But did any problems arise? And if they arose, what did people do about said problems? Did the early fathers and mothers just allow erratic people to go unchecked, or did they attempt to disabuse them of their fanciful not...

From how to understand the tenses and modes of prophecy, to the state of maturity required to be used in prophecy, Gregory the Great elaborates on all this and more in his Homilies on the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel. He spoke as man very familiar with the spirit of prophecy and as man that carried a deep love for God. What might he have to teach us about how the church in the 6th century viewed pr...

The Didache cautioned the early church to not trust a wandering prophet or apostle who would stay with them for more than 3 days. On the same note, Paul offered a defense of his ministry in Acts 20 by saying that he never "coveted anyone's silver or gold or apparel". This is juxtaposed with the role of a wandering teacher/orator/philosopher in the ancient world. They did what they d...

Starting with this episode, Josh and Murray begin a new series on how the church has viewed and practiced the spiritual gifts since its infancy. Did the gifts of the Spirit cease with the death of the apostles? Did the canonization of scripture have measurable impact on the movement of the Holy Spirit?  Join Josh and Murray as they dive in to what the early church liturgical documents have to say...

Join Joshua, Murray, and Colin as they dive in the sequel episode on the Divine Eucharist.  We charismatic evangelicals find it difficult to make the leap from symbol to real presence, but should we be re-thinking what it means to take communion? Listen as Father Colin's mind is blown about the timelessness of God, how a table can help us re-think of the Eucharist, and what is the difference...

Why would a priest not separate his thumb and forefinger after holding the communion elements? Is it merely superstition or is there something more tangible that we Evangelicals have missed? And what might the difference between the Anglican reformers, Roman Catholics, and Orthodox Christians as it pertains to the Eucharist?  Join Joshua and Murray as they dive in to the weeds with Father Colin Ni...

Moses could only say he was the most humble man on the face of the earth after he encountered the God of humility. This is because humility is not so much an attribute we acquire but a participation in the humility of God. Archbishop Chrysostom of Etna writes :  "Humility dwells in the nature of God Himself. Yet this attribute of God, belonging to a God Who is transcendent, unknowable in Esse...

So dreams were important in the early church and beyond, but what happened? Why did the church lose interest? And why did the world lose interest? In the past 100 years, people have begun to find a value for dreams and how they intersect with our spirituality again, but the church has been far behind. Perhaps it begins earlier then we thought. Tune in as Murray and Josh talk about what happened to...

Join Murray Dueck and Joshua Hoffert as they discuss dreams in the early church age. Dreams and visions have been a part of the Christanity from its inception and have never gone anywhere. Tune in and find out about the Patristic Age, dreams, the Desert Fathers, and much more! For the upcoming Dreams You Dream Live Training with Joshua Hoffert visit: https://www.windtrainingacademy.com/the-dreams-...

What does it mean to prepare you life and not a sermon? To be ready to speak on behalf of God when He moves on you? What if your prayer life was just like walking and talking with your dad? Sometimes we are more concerned with building our own little empire than just being with the Father.  Join Josh, Murray, and Steve as they talk about apostles, prophets, encountering the Father through Scriptur...

Have you ever felt as if you have to measure up to something? Have you ever questioned who God is as your Father? Do you have some unquenched need to compete with those around you? Encountering the heart of the Father begins to bring rest to the life of the orphan. Jesus said that he would not leave us as orphans, and in that He reveals His relationship with the Abba. When we see Him we see how He...

Join Josh and Murray for the second episode with Father Michael Gillis. This is the second episode wherein Father Mike talks about humility in the patristics, how we are both sinner and one being saved, that spiritual warfare is the battle between those two. Join us as we dive in yet again! Father Mike is the parish priest of Holy Nativity Orthodox Church (https://www.holynativitychurch.ca/) and t...

Today, Josh and Murray are joined by Father Michael Gillis. Father Mike is the parish priest of Holy Nativity Orthodox Church (https://www.holynativitychurch.ca/) and the genius behind the podcast Praying in the Rain hosted by Ancient Faith Radio (https://www.ancientfaith.com/contributors/michael_gillis). In this episode, Father Mike talks about Theosis as the invitation for the church to walk wit...

"As I walk, my sins follow behind me and I do not see them yet I've been asked to judge the sins of another." Abba Moses In the Beatitudes, Jesus lays out the schema of the spiritual life. Jesus did not lay out a seven mountain mandate to conquer the world, but he laid out a way of conquering the heart. What Jesus spoke to is, "How do you go about conquering the heart?" Be...

A theology of salvation cannot base itself on mental consent. Transformation does not happen because your mind has been changed. How do we go about discovering the deep place of our heart? Bishop Kallistos Ware, when asked if he was saved, responded by saying: "I am in the process of being saved." Salvation as a theory must touch the deep places of who we are. We are being saved and ther...

What does it look like to walk the journey of union with the heart of God? Union is the beginning and the end of the journey, but we can't mistake the entry point for the destination.  Isaiah the Solitary said, "In a word, all the works of a monastic will be in vain without such hard labor and without the remembrance of God. This work is both the beginning and the end for one living in s...

Abba Lot went to see Abba Joseph and said to him: "Abba, as far as I can I say my little office, I fast a little, I pray and meditate, I live in peace and as far as I can, I purify my thoughts. What else can I do?" Then the old man stood up and stretched his hands towards heaven. His fingers became like ten lamps of fire and he said to him" "If you will, you can become all flam...

What did the early fathers of Christianity say about the life of union with Christ? The term  Theosis comes up consistently in patristic writing about the transformation of the Christian life. That term seems foreign to the average Christian. The contemplative authors, the Desert Fathers, and the Eastern Christian mystics were well acquainted with the concept. What kind of wisdom might they have f...

Macarius the great was one of the most profound teachers on the spiritual life in the egyptian desert. From conversations with the devil to a contemporary model from prophetic ministry, Macarius has a lot to teach us today. Join Joshua and Murray as they dive deep into Macarian spirituality.  For info on the ConteXtus Online Leadership conference, visit: https://www.windtrainingacademy.com/context...

What kind of language can we use when we talk about the God-man Jesus? And what does it mean to us practically that Christ was fully man and fully God? These concepts were central to early Christianity, but they are rarely explored to the same depth today. A renewed interest in the nature of Jesus and how He reveals God would do us well today. Our understanding has ramifications towards redemption...